Green Eyed Bitterness
by CretianStar
Summary: Four angsty emotional chapters of the darker natures of Isle&Auradon relationships. How do they deal with their jealousies? Prompt given by PersassyIsKing. Happily complete.
1. Doug & Evie

A/N: This will be a standalone set of four stories around each couple. My Devie starting point! Enjoy!

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"Oh. Hello." Doug's cheery voice seemed to hollow at the sight of Jonathan sat at Evie's desk. The young man looked up to smile quickly at Doug but his head bent back to his notes once more. "Is Evie not here?" Doug pressed on at the other man's silence.

"Clearly not." He said to his paperwork, looking only to change the page of Evie's scrapbook in order to finish his notes.

"Do you know where she may be?" Doug refused to let his anger colour his tone, but Jonathan was testing every nerve Doug had, and even nerves he didn't know he had.

"Nope." Jonathan popped the 'p' and Doug closed his eyes briefly. He knew that Evie had needed a secretary for as long as he could remember, he knew that Evie had been excited to hire Jonathan, but hells bells the man was infuriating. For the three months the man had been in Evie's workspace, Jonathan had been nothing but rude and abrupt to Doug, but only when Evie was absent.

"Crap kind of PA then aren't you?" Doug couldn't control his outburst and Jonathan finally looked up Doug, a sneer gracing his features.

"I'm not your PA." He remarked.

"Thank heavens." Doug's parting shot was the final word as he snicked the door shut behind him. He went to find Dizzy who was considerably nicer than Jonathan. She was helpful as well, helping him to ferret Evie out in the vast maze of storerooms that ran beneath the castle Evie had taken for her fashion empire.

"Oh hello beautiful." Evie dropped a quick kiss to his lips before lifting another bolt of fabric onto the trolley she was wheeling with her. "How are you?"

"I'm okay." He chewed his bottom lip, but Evie didn't seem to see his anxiety.

"Have you spoken to Jonathan, I really need his help with something." Evie frowned as she counted on her fingers while muttering to herself, definitely not noticing Doug's rictus grin.

"He's upstairs, anyway E I'm sure I will speak to you later." He pressed a kiss to her cheek and didn't see the confusion on her face as he turned away sharply, doggedly avoiding her office on his way out. He never told her about his promotion, or that he was planning to take her to dinner to celebrate. Instead he went home, rang up his cousin Merry and the pair departed to a bar for the night. In that moment, Evie didn't dwell long on Doug's weird behaviour, as Jonathan appeared, notepad in hand with a small smile on his face.

~Devie~

_A few weeks later_

"You're being really weird Doug!" Evie burst out.

"How do you draw that conclusion?" He turned with a raised brow, placing his champagne glass down on the table so she didn't see his hands shaking.

"Jonathan was right, your behaviour has really changed, he said you're rude to him all the time! After all the work he's done for me! Tonight would not have gone ahead without him!" She hissed. The pair had taken their argument into a hallway. It was Evie's Season, with her latest designs hitting the runway, and the after party was rolling with people, royalty and civilians alike.

"I am really glad you are taking all of Jonathan's comments to heart." Doug said stiffly. "If my behaviour is offending you so much I do not wish to dampen your evening anymore, I will head home now." His tone was artificial, a smile hiding his pain, but his anger was rolling, and he knew that a screaming row would do more harm than good. Instead he turned away fast and all but ran down the corridor, leaving Evie to fume behind him. Neither of them saw the smirk on Jonathan's face, but there was one person who did and she felt her inner Isle come out at the sight of the nasty little man.

When Evie went home that night to find Doug already asleep on the couch, her anger bubbled all over again, and the following morning, she had slammed her way into work. She found solace in Jonathan's soft words, his congratulations on her show and party, and his sympathy for the way Doug was behaving.

"I have told you E, he's very strange." He tapped away at his computer when Dizzy appeared in the doorway.

"Since when did you call your boss E?" She frowned, her innocence radiating so much so that Evie blushed. "I thought that was Doug's nickname for you?"

"Don't mention him, he's in my bad books." Evie growled.

"Well then I'm taking you out for breakfast." When Jonathan rose as well. "No, this is girls only I'm afraid, got some boyfriend issues of mine to discuss." She smiled and although Jonathan frowned he sat back down.

When Dizzy got Evie settled in a corner of the Slipper in the Soup, she fiddled with the menu and assessed Evie. There were bags under her eyes and her face looked paler than usual. They ordered a small breakfast and Dizzy waited for the food to be served before she pounced on Evie. Instead she filled the silence with affable chatter about her latest design, taking Evie's thoughts as always and wondering what alterations could be made. Once the waiter had departed, she leant forward and narrowed her eyes.

"Bad night?"

"Doug's being weird."

"No, he's not. He's being jealous." Her blunt answer made Evie stare at her before laughing.

"What has Doug got to be jealous of, no even Jonathan said he's being weird, did you know Doug is being rude to him?"

"Doug doesn't have a rude bone in his body." Dizzy huffed. "Nobody likes Jonathan except for you. He's a rat Evie, oh for heaven's sake don't stand up and flounce out. Sit back down, I'm not going to watch that weasel of a man ruin your relationship so he can take your business." Evie sat down sharply at Dizzy's order and stared at her friend as if she was speaking another language.

"What?"

"Have you not worked it out? That nasty little man is the rudest thing to have entered your building, and that includes Chad Charming. Every time in the last six months he has never told Doug where you are, or what appointment you're doing. He's rude, he's insolent and he thinks he's an equal partner in the business." Dizzy growled. Jonathan had not been friendly to her either; comments about her Isle life had been so cleverly worded that at first, she had been unsure whether it was an insult or not, now though she was sure… Jonathan was cruel.

"Dizzy… I think you're wrong." Evie started. "Jonathan has been wonderful!"

"To you, and you alone." She said severely. "Last night, you and Doug were arguing in the corridor and that little bastard was out there lapping up the drama. I've never seen such a man satisfied on your heartache. He's a nasty piece of work Evie Regina. Test him, I dare you."

"Why…"

"You're too Auradon for your own damn good sometimes." Dizzy said casually, and Evie almost hissed in surprise. "You could even ask Mal what she thinks of him, she'll give you a straight answer." Dizzy put down her mug and stared severely at her friend. "When did you and Doug start having relationship problems Evie? Because I'd stake the money I had, that your issues only started after Jonathan started pouring poison in your ear." Dizzy took a breath and when Evie went to speak she held up a hand to silence any protests. "You have known Doug for years, you have been with him through thick and thin. When you didn't get a placement at the De La Mode college, it was Doug that picked you up and held you close, when Doug failed his midterms, you were right there, supporting him, keeping him together. Every moment, good and bad you and Doug have been side by side, and if you're going to be so easily led by such a foul and loathsome waste of human life then I don't think I can work for you anymore." Dizzy's speech was long and Evie was staring open mouthed at the fierce younger woman. "I love you Evie, you were the sister I always needed, and as a sister, I'm telling you to wise up."

Evie closed her mouth and thought for a moment.

"Say you're right, how do I go about proving this?"

~Devie~

"How is _Doug._" Jonathan emphasised the name sarcastically, and Evie stayed silent for a moment, she hung her jacket on the back of her chair and sat at her desk, staring at the pattern in the wood. "Is he still throwing the dramatics and flouncing out?"

"Doug doesn't flounce." Evie said quietly but Jonathan didn't recognise her change of mind.

"No you're right, he doesn't have the spirit to flounce. Honestly E I do not know why you're dating him, I know many men that deserve you more than he does. He's just a Miner offspring, pun intended, no royal blood like you and I!" Jonathan carried on tapping away at his keyboard, unaware of Evie's growing realisation. Jonathan didn't see her text Doug and ask to meet for lunch, he didn't see the small smile of relief when Doug curtly agreed. Evie hummed in the right places of Jonathan's poisonous diatribe, and let him dig himself into a deeper hole. With every word that fell from his lips, Evie realised that her blunt little sister was right – Jonathan was a nasty little toad and he was working hard to turn her against Doug.

When lunchtime rolled around he turned to face her and was taken aback. She had her handbag between her fingers and had slipped her phone in her pocket.

"Are we going out for lunch?" He asked, reaching for his jacket.

"Not today, I have to nip out, Dizzy left me with an errand and I need to complete it."

"Well why can't she do that? Surely it's her job and you are her boss." He frowned.

"This one's kind of personal, I'll be back within the hour." With that she left her thankfully clueless secretary in her wake.

She found Doug at the corner of the street just as he promised and although they glanced at one another awkwardly, she soon flung her arms around his neck and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I made a mistake, and I need you to help me." She whispered.

"What's happened E? What can I do?" He held her close and kissed her head. No matter what mood he was in with her, he would always help her.

"You were right about Jonathan, he is a nasty man and I need you to help me get rid of him. I am so sorry for the way I've treated you." There were tears sparkling in her eyes and Doug, although there was a small bite of bitterness, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and kept his arms wrapped around her. There had been a small part that thought she was meeting up with him to dump him and the relief flooding through his system wiped away any resentment he had towards her.

"Of course E, what do you need me to do?"

"We need to visit Fairy Fluffkins Apothecary and then go back to my office?"

~Devie~

"Is Evie in?" Doug was holding open the office door with his foot, hovering on the threshold. As soon as Jonathan saw him, a sneer twisted his features.

"I don't think you're welcome here." He grinned. "You're going to be out of her life so fast."

"What do you mean?"

"Your little performance at the party last night. Evie needs someone like herself, who understands her needs, and you are not it. You're some scrubby little nobody from the backend of Snow White's lands. You're one of many Miners and E needs someone like her, someone like me, someone with Royal blood in their veins. You'll be gone soon enough." He spat triumphantly. "She's out doing an errand for Dozy Tremaine at the minute."

"You mean Dizzy?" Doug repeated and Jonathan's face sneered again.

"I meant Dozy." He said gleefully.

"Did you?" There was an icy voice from one end of the room and as the enchantment lifted. To Jonathan's dismay there stood Evie Regina, in her full glory with her anger almost fizzling around her. He visibly paled and seemed to shrink behind his desk, there was a shock of magic that froze him to his chair and Evie advanced towards him, looking every inch the Evil Queen. "Well _Jonathan_, I think it's time we had a little talk."

"Can I let in the team now?" Doug quizzed and she nodded, grateful for the distraction as the Evil Magic boiled inside of her.

The team that Doug had quickly gathered was soon in her office, bagging and searching for devices on Jonathan's frozen form. Jonathan himself was still bound to his chair, but his features were twisted in pure hatred as he stared at Doug. Doug who was now soothing Evie's anger and now had the cheek to shoot a lazy smile at the ex-secretary. "We've just got to see how much you've embezzled from the company, then the King's Force will be taking you in." He shrugged with an almost arrogant smile. "I knew you took over the finances just a little too fast." He grinned and felt Evie wrap her arm around his waist.

"I love you Douglas Miner." She leant forwards to kiss him.

"I love you more Evie Regina." He kissed her back. "This lot will be here a while." He nodded, having called in a few favours with friends.

"It's okay, here comes Detective Charming now." Evie smiled as Florence Charming strode into the room, she smiled briefly at the pair, before her eyes narrowed at Jonathan.

"I got what you need Doug, this warrant covers all of his stuff at home, whatever he's taken we'll make sure it's recovered." Flo may have looked the damsel in distress but she was strong-willed, fearless and smart, it made her a formidable opponent to the ne'er-do-wells of Auradon. "We'll wrap it up here, if you head down to the station in your own time one of my colleagues will take your statements." A brief nod and she turned her attention back to the disgraced man.

Taking their cue, Evie led Doug out of her office happily relinquishing it to the fine officers of the King's Force to see Dizzy leaning against the wall.

"Sorry Dizz." Evie murmured.

"That's okay, you made it up to me by letting me watch that charlatan orchestrate his own downfall." Dizzy grinned. "You enjoy your unexpected afternoon off, I am off to see a girl about some velvet."


	2. Ben & Mal

A/N: So when I started this four part story, I had great ideas for what made the others jealous, but I swiftly realised I didn't want it to be all angst and darkness, even with a happy ending, so this one is a little different to the previous one.

Enjoy!

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"You know this is the first time we've been together at an engagement for three months." Ben whispered and he heard Mal's soft chuckle.

"Thank hell for Audrey popping out another child then." She murmured and Ben bit back his laugh. They took their place in the church and stood as the mother and newborn entered.

Several hours later they fell into bed beside one another.

"That sucked." Mal groaned, glaring down at her fancy dress with fiddly buttons. "We may have been in the same room but I don't think we spent more than five minutes with one another." She grunted as Ben rolled over to face her. She laughed as he kissed her on the nose.

"I mean, I saw you from afar and you looked beautiful?" He offered with a grin and Mal rolled closer to him.

"Do you think E will kill me if I rip the back of this dress off?" She pouted.

"I know what that dress is retailing for in her store and yes, she will kill." Ben groaned, tugging his waistcoat off, rolling around in the bed to remove the article of clothing.

"You undress me and I'll undress you?" Mal offered with a lazy but wicked grin, and Ben caught the look in her eyes.

"I think I'm getting a rough end of the deal but… deal." The pair fell into one another's arms in a tangle of discarded clothes.

When they woke up the next morning, Mal's alarm blared into life and she sprang out of bed.

"Sugar Honey Ice Tea, I am going to be late!" She scrambled up and all but ran to the bathroom. "If I'm late to Wonderland it's going to be the final irony!"

~Bal~

"Meeting on Tuesday? I thought we had arranged dinner for that night?" Mal half rose from her chair, as Ben collected his briefcase, shuffling through a scattering of papers on his desk, he barely spared her a glance.

"Did we? Well, the Advisor from Charmington is only available on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we can rearrange can't we darling?" Ben frowned again, still rooting through his desk. "Have you seen the file on coast erosion?"

"It's next to Louisa." Mal gestured to the bust in the window and Ben was soon gone with a distracted 'bye' in her direction. Ignoring the soft ache in her chest, she pulled her own case towards her, taking out the neatly bundled documents and finding her glasses in her comfy cardigan pocket, she set about to looking at her own royal affairs.

~Bal~

"Hey, you looking fancy, where you off to?" Ben leant against the doorjamb and smirked as his wife dusted down her skirt and tweaked the collar of her blouse.

"Do you think?" She scrunched her hair, making her loose curls bounce slightly.

"Looking beautiful, where you going?" He jammed his hands in his pockets and bit back his disappointment.

"Naming of the new research ship, heading out towards the Northern Isles."

"Oh, The Tinkerbell?" He thought of Wynona Darling, _Doctor_ Wynona Darling, he corrected himself, and her latest venture.

"Indeed so, I'm doing the rum bottle smashing."

"I thought it was champagne?"

"It's champagne for you, rum for me." She winked and leant up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. "What are you doing today?"

"Free day for me today." He sighed, and held back saying anything. He had hoped they'd be free together, maybe have a chance for a ride through the Royal Park, or canoodle in the maze like they used to.

"That sounds heavenly, make sure you slob out for me as well!" Mal grinned, sliding her boots on before grabbing her bag. "See you tomorrow." She left before Ben could comment on her nighttime absence, but he sighed and resigned himself to a lonely evening in.

~Bal~

"Where are you heading this time?" Mal asked tiredly. She'd felt crap in the last few weeks, she was overly tired, her feet ached and there was a lingering sense of nausea she couldn't shake.

"Delegation of Dwarves and Forest Animals over in the Enchanted Forest, they're worried about ecological damage from over logging at the western boundary." Ben sighed.

"Oh."

"You about next Tuesday?" He watched her reach for her diary and thumb through the pages.

"No, I'm over in Agrabah for the new University Opening, how about Friday?"

"I already know that I'm hosting the Charity Ball for mom and dad that night." He stared at her as she flicked through the weeks trying to find another night, day, hour they could share with one another. "Leave it Mal, we'll find time. I have to go or Grumpy will live up to his name." Ben waved and was gone.

Four days later he came in and found Mal absent. Going through to their bedroom, he found the note on his pillow.

Have been called to Corona to help Rapunzel with errand, back soon.

"Yeah, we'll find time." He whispered to himself.

~Bal~

There was almost a moment, there was a two hour window that crossed over between the two of them before one went North to Arendelle and one was heading South to Atlantica.

"I can't do this anymore Ben." Mal exploded suddenly and Ben almost leapt out of his seat.

"What?"

"I can't stand your aloofness, your coldness." She stood up, her eyes were blazing, and her sudden anger left Ben silenced. She took his silence as a continuation of his emotional withdrawal and she let out a feral scream.

"Mal."

"I can't do this alone." She pulled at her hair and Ben stood with her as well. His anger was flaring as fast, and her words were hardly registering. He had felt just as alone as she had. He had felt her absence in his life, it had been like a huge gaping hole when she hadn't been beside him. He was seeing red and he let out a short breath to try and calm himself down.

"Alone!?" He snapped, drawing her attention back. "You think you're the only one that's alone? I haven't seen you in months, if there isn't this party, there's that visit, if you're not entertaining one noble family, you're out at some charity ball." His rage was bubbling over and Mal almost looked taken aback, but he saw the fire flare back in her eyes.

"Me?! I'm not the one who's arranged my meetings to specifically avoid you? Any down days I get and I find that you're elsewhere, across the kingdom attending various openings and galas of your own?!" Mal wanted to scream and Ben wanted to snarl.

"You think this is my fault?" He snapped.

"I can't do this anymore." She turned away and curled in on herself.

"So what now?"

"I can't do this alone Ben, I need you here." She moved back to face him, "We need you." She clutched her stomach and Ben's anger melted away.

"What?" He was struck dumb by her admission and she faltered again.

"I am pregnant Ben." Her words felt brittle, she felt brittle. She felt that if he touched her she'd smash into a million pieces. "I can't cope with you not being here, I'm scared." Her confessions were pulled from her, her fears overwhelming her but all of a sudden she was enveloped in his arms.

"Christ." He murmured into the top of her head.

"Ben."

"Mal, relax. I'm not going anywhere."

"What about Arendelle? And Atlantica?" She mumbled into his jacket.

"LUMIERE!" Ben suddenly shouted and Mal stepped back as the old retainer's daughter stepped into the room.

"Yes Sir?"

"Cancel the plans for the next week, the Queen and I have matters to attend to." Ben looked down at Mal's pale face.

"Yes Sir, Ma'am?"

"Cancel all of my plans as well." Mal turned to her faithful servant whose eyes seemed to be sparkling.

Neither Royal saw Lumiere leave, neither saw the relieved sigh she gave as she strolled down the corridor, phone in hand. Neither of them knew she text Jane, the Fae Advisor to say that they would be okay, or the message of relief that Jane sent back. Their relationship had been a concern for most of the Court, all of them were panicked at the distance between the pair, but none of them knew how to fix them – they both took duty very seriously. If it had continued for another week, they were going to send in Carlos but it hadn't and there was a moment of tangible relief over the castle.


	3. Carlos & Jane

A/N: Penultimate couple! Enjoy this incredibly long chapter. (Sorry about the length)

Enjoy!

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Carlos gnashed his teeth but he refused to turn around. Taking in a sharp breath through the nose, he closed his eyes and focused on the aroma of the food bubbling on the stove. He refused, _refused, _to acknowledge the Royal standing in his kitchen, having "been in the area" and decided to "pop over" to see Jane.

The Royal that was now holding a glass of wine, because Jane had decided there was enough food to spare for the esteemed Royal Prat to join them. Of course Jane never called him a prat, she called him Edward, Prince Edward of some Neighbouring Nowhere that Carlos never stopped hearing about. Prince Edward did this, Prince Edward did that, Carlos felt his blood boil and he had never been so close to creating a mobile phone that electrocuted someone before. He was damn close now.

_Call me. _His text to Evie brought back a string of question marks, but he persevered nonetheless. _Call me, and tell me you need to chat to me ASAP. Bullshit this one for me please woman, I need your help. _

True to form, his phone rang and he made concerned noises down the phone, when he rung off with a promise to be there as soon as he could, he turned to face Jane who was staring worriedly at him. Guilt tugged at him for a moment but not for long, because the Royal Prat was mirroring his girlfriend's expression and Carlos felt the burst of anger again.

"I have to go." He dropped a kiss on Jane's forehead and nodded to the Prat.

"Is Evie okay?"

"She will be when I get there, she thinks one of her servers is on the wobble said I'd fix it." Carlos stroked his thumb over Jane's chin quickly, and felt his jealousy dissipate a little, until Prince Prat opened his mouth.

"That sounds pretty serious, I hope things are okay before her big launch next week."

"I'll fix it." Carlos couldn't stop the tension in his words, so with another kiss to Jane's forehead he waved goodbye and got in his car. He dialled Evie when he was a couple of roads away and sighed as her voice crackled through his car speakers, demanding an explanation.

~Carlos~

She hadn't come home again, she had barely text which had once worried Carlos, but they were weeks into dealing with Prince Prat, and Carlos had resigned himself to her absences. He looked at his phone once more, before putting it to charge in the kitchen and heading up to bed. Usually it would stay beside him, but he had become obsessive of a night time, constantly checking his screen to see if Jane was on her way home, to see if she had messaged him or, called him, or even sent a goddamn GIF. Anything, but usually there was nothing. He had decided to take away the temptation, and left his phone downstairs, with the leftovers of the chili he had prepared that night. In a Tupperware, with a heart shaped note on the top her name scribbled across it. He still loved her, his foolish heart would always love her, even if she slept with three hundred Princes, he would still love her.

Somehow, Carlos wasn't sure how he had managed to drift off to sleep. It had been an uneasy and restless sleep, and it was cut short by the noises in the other room.

"Sshh." There was a loud whisper, that wasn't fooling anybody, and Carlos stopped reaching for the heavy lamp, expecting a burglar and instead he reached for the torch.

"Jane." A male voice, maybe he should reach for the lamp again. "Jane, he's not going to hear us, he's asleep."

"Ed, we have to be quiet." Jane hushed him again and Carlos peeped out from the door. His Jane, and that Prat were beyond inebriated, Jane had a pair of high heel shoes in her hand (when did she buy those?), and she was leaning heavily on the back of the sofa.

"Fine." He mock whispered and sat on the sofa, loosening his shirt. "Do I have to sleep on the sofa, where's the bed?"

"There isn't one." Jane hummed, sitting beside him and resting her head on his shoulder. Carlos swallowed hard.

"What do you mean?"

"There's my bed and there's the sofa, the other room is Carlos' study."

"And your library." Carlos hissed from his hidden spot. "But you won't mention that Jane will you, because _Ed_ clearly doesn't think it's cool."

"You let him have a whole bedroom for a study?"

"Yup. Christ is that the time? We should really be asleep, you have an eleven am meeting." Carlos didn't hear anything clearly, as he padded quietly back into the bed, squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.

~Jane~

Jane didn't see the leftovers, because Carlos left well before her the next morning, he took himself off to the beach with his laptop and various gadgets and the chili went with him.

Jane did see the note in the bin. She saw the _Have a good day at work _note and frowned, bleary eyed as she stared at the trash. Her hangover was killing her, and Ed was still half passed out on the sofa, he had made a few groaning noises, and some words about Jo coming over to help them recover. But Jane's hungover mind was trying to process why Carlos had screwed up a note for her in the bin, it wasn't working, the gears were turning but nothing was happening. She turned to face Ed, the world briefly spinning at the fast movement. Her mouth opened and closed, still sluggishly working over the note in the bin but for the moment she decided she really needed water.

After filling two glasses, she slunked to the armchair and swirled the glass, half in thought. Ed still made noises next to her and after emerging from his blanket nest he raised one eyebrow.

"Your sofa is far comfier than I expected. Must get one of my own."

"It's a charity shop find, Carlos is pretty damn good at finding out treasures." Jane's mind was still struggling over the note, unsure why it was bothering her so much.

"Your boy is very good at that." He winked and smiled and Jane quirked a grin, until the buzzer of the door went and the pair grimaced. "That'll be Jo." She hauled herself upright, note forgotten.

"Hopefully bearing paracetamol and caffeine."

~Carlos~

Carlos sighed; Jane was out late again. Again. He really couldn't stop the permanent nausea rolling through his body. He thought he could trust his friends enough to unburden himself, but instead he kept his worries locked up and festering inside his head. He had gone straight back to his insecure Isle days, when he didn't quite trust anyone enough with the secrets in his heart.

He knew Evie was worried, he'd lost weight, hell even Jay had commented on how pale and thin he was. He had murmured something about new contracts, but even the muscle man, who wasn't exactly comfortable with sharing emotions seemed to be watching Carlos a little too closely. Carlos had stopped seeing them; he locked himself in his study, drawing fantastical, barely doable inventions. He would spend hours fixing one corner of a self-clearing mantle piece only to tear the plans in half when he realised no-one would ever want it. He couldn't remember when he last ate, but he realised he hadn't slept in about 36 hours and there was an almost permanent tic on the right side of his face.

He should probably sleep. Would his brain let him sleep? Maybe. Maybe Jane still had that DreamEasy concoction her mother had made when they were studying for finals. Did potions expire? He wasn't sure. He would take it anyway. He fell into an almost dreamless sleep and he was out for the count when Jane came home. Not that she would know.

Jane was exhausted when she came home, Ed and Jo had far more stamina than she did and every bone in her body hurt as she dragged herself through the front door. Resting her coat on the hook, she was bemused to see the light on in the living room, kicking off the painful heels, she dumped her laptop bag on the kitchen table before padding through to the lounge. There was evidence of Carlos' crazy brain and she smiled fondly at the mess before her. In another time it might have maddened her that his system seemed illogical, but time had taught her that Carlos knew where everything was. Her smile faded as she saw Carlos still working away. He was furiously scrabbling for pens and paper, and Jane frowned at his erratic behaviour, especially considering it was almost two in the morning.

She only became truly concerned when he grabbed a fork and with the handle of it continued to scribble formulas and notes.

"Carlos?" She murmured. He didn't react. She moved through to face him and sighed softly. Sure enough, her beau's eyes were wide open but unseeing. A sleepwalking Carlos wasn't unusual, but it was rare – normally with a deadline looming or a large amount of stress rocketing around his brain, she knew that he was apt to getting up and wandering, that manic mind of his not quite relaxing. Gently prising the fork from his fingers, she was relieved when he meekly followed her back to bed. She didn't pretend to understand the muttered words, and she resolved to be there with him in the morning to try and work out what had got him so worked up.

"Jane, must show Jane. Must show her, she needs to see this, needs to know…. Needs to be…" Carlos hurried words left her bemused and she worriedly stroked his hair away from his face as she tucked him back into bed.

"What do I need to know?" She whispered, keeping one eye on his twitching form while working the zipper on her dress.

"Jane, but she can't have. No she could have. Maybe. But Jane." He blindly reached over and patted the empty space in the bed and whined. "Jane." The hurt in his voice had Jane, still in her underwear dashing to his side, stroking his hair once more, smoothing out the frown lines on his face, lines that didn't disappear under her touch. "No Jane." The quiet words sent her brain tumbling into a bout of confusion, but it seemed that Carlos' brain had finally worn itself out and the rest of the night went quietly.

When she woke up the next morning, his side of the bed was empty and throwing on a dressing gown she found Carlos in the kitchen staring mournfully at his coffee cup.

"Hey love." She pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"Hey."

"Rough night?"

"Feels like it." He winced and rolled his shoulders experimentally. "Not been this bad in a while." He groaned and went to the microwave as it beeped. Throwing the heat bag across his left shoulder he pulled a face and sipped his coffee again.

"You tried to draw on your plans with a fork." Jane shrugged, grabbing her own cup and digging out a box from her bag. Unearthing a box of tea from the depths of her bag, she flicked the kettle to life and hummed to herself.

"Since when did you drink raspberry tea?" Carlos tried to keep his question light, but he knew what her answer would be.

"Oh Ed made me try some the other day and I am hooked."

"Is that the new fruity thing I've been smelling?" Carlos had been taught how to lie from birth, and he watched Jane with a neutral expression. If you couldn't lie on the Isle you wouldn't make your fifth birthday, and if you couldn't keep your poker face under control, you wouldn't make your tenth. He watched her thoughtful face and felt a sinking feeling in his gut as she nodded.

"That could be it." She was letting the bag steep, watching the tea intently and Carlos felt his heart shatter. He _knew_ the fruity smell was a luxurious perfume from Dronning Af Vandet. He had been going to get it for her birthday after she had a sample at Audrey's wedding, but it seemed that Ed had already beaten him to it.

Well that was his morning ruined, and with that his brain needed an escape plan.

"I need to get some work done, I'm sure you'll be heading off soon." He stood, and Jane missed him forcing himself to relax. She looked up in surprise and opened her mouth.

"I don't have to be in until one."

"Ah, as always we seem to miss one another these days." He dropped a long lingering kiss to the crown of her hair, but when he took a deep breath and smelt the Queen of the Water perfume, and raspberry tea he took a step back. She didn't smell like his Jane anymore. His Jane had smelt like books and sherbet. She didn't know how good Carlos was at lying, at hiding how much his heart hurt. She looked at him confused as he vanished to the bathroom, and was more confused when he brushed off her offer of coming with him to the library.

She was sat in her dressing gown, staring at the closed front door when her phone buzzed.

"Hey Ed."

~Janelos~

He didn't want to be here. Every single part of him hated knowing that he was here because of the Royal Prat. He felt like the idiot was showing off that Jane was now His and not Carlos'. She hadn't spent much time with Carlos, she had instead swanned around with Ed, leaving Carlos lurking at the edges of a society that didn't want him.

He didn't know what had broken him. It might have been Ed's kiss on Jane's cheek that snapped him. He couldn't even remember what he said, but he found himself in a now silent room, everyone agog at seeing Prince Edward's Planner and her boyfriend having a domestic in the middle of the Opening Party.

"You're accusing me of what now Carlos de Vil!? Do you not know who Joe is?!" She snapped while Carlos smouldered against her.

"Jo?" Carlos said blankly, staring at Jane who, despite her anger at him, could see he was genuinely confused. "I thought Jo was his sister?"

"Number one, Joe is a man." Jane hissed, and a man behind her waved cheerfully.

"Okay, so Joe is Prince Prat's brother! Big deal!" Carlos huffed.

"Number two." Jane was using her quiet voice, and Carlos felt suddenly unsure; she only used this voice when she was really mad. "Joe is Edward's husband."

There was a silence and Carlos felt his heart stop and his stomach plummet. The colour drained from his face and he gaped at her. Jane wanted to feel triumphant in the moment of proving him wrong but she didn't because instead of answering her, he fled. He ran as fast as he could from the room.

Carlos blindly ran, his eyes unseeing as he slammed open doors, yanked the keys from his pocket and rammed them in the ignition. He sped away, leaving tire tracks on the road and he let his overwhelmed mind take him to a place he would feel safe. The salt air hit his nostrils and he finally sobbed, broken noises rattled through him his as the pressure of the last few weeks tumbled down around him. His mind, so bent on seeing the worst in Jane had missed all the obvious signs. So sure that he wasn't good enough for her, he had been so sure that she would always choose a Prince over the son of a villainous lunatic, he had been so sure that Jane would never have chosen him that he missed everything in front of him. Another broken sob had him curled on the sand, huddled near the wall with his head resting on his knees.

Jane had watched him leave, politely excused herself and went to compose herself. Which was impossible. She took one look at her own reflection, and decided she needed to leave. She didn't say goodbye to either Edward or Joseph, she didn't stay long enough to collect her coat, she had her purse, and her keys and she went home. To the home she shared with Carlos, to the small library that the pair of them had built within the spare bedroom, she stared over at his desk and saw the clutter of files for different project he was working on, he saw the blueprint paper with different inventions traced neatly across them, with A4 sheets paperclipped behind with his notes and mathematics on them. She had hoped that he was here but it was obvious that their quiet flat was empty, and Jane realised just how cold their last few weeks had been.

She sat in his chair and couldn't stop the well of emotions rushing through, the tears came and she cried for a moment. She cast her mind back and realised why Carlos' behaviour had been so erratic, his sleepwalking and twitchiness made sense, locking himself away in here to work fanatically on new instalments, excitedly rushing to tell her new ideas, and Jane closed her eyes as she realised he was trying to prove himself to her. To prove that he was better than a Prince. She groaned and rested her head on his pile of paperwork, as if he would ever need to prove it… even if Edward had been so inclined towards her, she would never choose a Royal over her Rebel.

Jane thought for longer on the previous moments that had confused her, and realised she had not helped the situation, the dinners between herself and Edward, all harmless but probably not from an outside perspective. Her early morning dashes to the new offices – she had known that the contractors had had issues, but she had never told Carlos, she had been gone when he woke up, and he was usually asleep when she got back. A change in her routines, using new and expensive products, which Carlos had lightly but regularly commented on; sure she knew that Joe owned a luxury spa and Jane had taken full advantage of her client's generosity. But Carlos didn't. All Carlos knew was that his girlfriend had left early in the morning to see Edward, come home after having dinner out with Edward, and came home smelling of different things to her usual products.

It was like Affair 101.

She'd have to find him.

~Jane~

She couldn't find him. It had been a week and now everyone was frantic.

Mal had tried every form of magic she knew to try and locate Carlos but everything deflected back.

"Could he be on the Isle?" Jane whispered when another spell fizzled out.

"No." Her mother said firmly. "We have had the barrier three times checked, it hasn't been lifted or broken. He's still in Auradon."

"We don't know that." Doug said gently, bending down to be on level with Jane.

There had been a serious uproar after Carlos didn't come home. There had been a lot of shouting, a lot of tears and in the end Jay had almost stormed out to find Prince Edward. Married or not, the man was a Grade A prat as far as Jay was concerned, and Jay's behaviour only seemed to confirm Jane's worst fears that Carlos was gone. Gone Gone, not just gone.

The week had passed in a blur and Jay hadn't really come back. When neither Evie's, Mal's or Fairy Godmother's magic couldn't locate Carlos, Jay had gone to search Auradon on foot. He treated the search as he would a Tourney match and he planned every strategy he could to find his best friend. What the others didn't know was that Jay felt guilty that he hadn't pushed more in finding out what had been stressing Carlos out, and that guilt was the driving force behind finding Carlos first. But even now, he was sat on the floor, reading map after trying to work out where Carlos could have ran to.

"This is maddening!" Jane suddenly screamed and stood up. "My boyfriend cannot have vanished from the face of the planet. He may have an IQ of four million and six, and create some of the most magic deflecting technology this kingdom has ever seen but even he cannot leave this damn place. He hasn't chartered a boat or a plane, so he is still in Auradon and I am going to find the damn man." She slammed her way out of the flat and FG deflated slightly. It had taken too long for Jane to get this angry, and she was originally worried that the magic wouldn't work now.

"Mal, Evie, now." The three women quickly joined hands and using the anger left by Jane they wove a new spell.

"What's going on?" Jay stood, watching the magic unfurl around the room.

"If I know anything, it's going to be something to do with True Love." Lonnie commented, leaning against the doorjamb until the magic settled into the form of two mongrel dogs. Godmother knelt down beside the two faintly glowing hounds.

"You know what to do." She nodded and the pair vanished in a sparkle of fairy dust.

"True Love needs a little more emotion to work , and while we had captured Carlos' jealousy, we need a raw emotion from Jane and she kept bottling it up, any longer and Carlos' emotion was losing potency." Mal shrugged, sagging onto the sofa with a sigh.

~Janelos~

Carlos watched the waves roll across the pebbles and said nothing. The sun hit his face, and for a moment he felt utterly at peace with the world. The glow that suddenly filled his soul made a change from the pain and guilt that had tortured him for the last week.

This beach was a hideout, and he had used every inch of his Isle trained cunning to keep himself hidden. The device he kept hidden in his pocket was like an umbrella for magic, it kept him hidden though he felt it vibrate every time a spell bounced off of it, and there had been many.

He had spent the first day or two crying, unable to hold back the pain in his chest, and he cried himself hoarse, collapsing on the floor of the hut when exhaustion finally took him. Thankfully he didn't sleepwalk, his body, and his mind were too numb to even conjure such a possibility. The next few days were spent in silent contemplation, mind running from anger to guilt, to anger, to hope, to shattered dreams, to heartbreak. Rolling from happy memories, until they soured with the last few months.

Now though he was sat with a strange but welcomed sense of peace and calm. Then he saw the dog. At first he tensed, a dog usually meant an owner, but the pooch sniffed the pebbles, snapped at a crab and frolicked in the surf before running up to him and barking happily. Carlos had never been happier to see another living animal in his life and fondled the dog's ears happily. He laughed when the dog rolled over to show his belly, and rubbed it accordingly and he even got up to jump in the waves with the mongrel.

"Shall we call you something? Until I find your real name, because you had no collar." Carlos had already felt the fur around his neck and found nothing. "How about Rex?" A whine. "Arthur? Billy? Carl? Donovan." The dog sat back on his haunches and gave him a droll look. "Fine! You can be just Dog for now?" A playful bark and a yip made Carlos laugh again and they went back to riling up the crab still sat on the beach.

So when the dog grabbed at his sleeve with teeth and made a whining noise, Carlos instantly became concerned and followed his new playmate without a hesitation.

"Pupper where are you?" The female voice made him stop in his tracks but the crashing through the undergrowth found another dog running towards him at full pelt. Carlos froze up as the two dogs yipped and barked at one another happily, but Carlos stopped and stared as the owner of the female voice followed her dog.

"Jane." He said hoarsely and Jane stopped dead as she came face to her face with her missing other half.

"Oh my god Carlos you're alive." Before he could move or protest, she ran towards him and flung herself at him, her arms wrapped around his neck and she noisily sobbed into his shoulders. He found his arms curling around her back and equally he cried as hard as the pair were lost in the moment.

~Janelos~

"So you now have two dogs?" Lonnie stroked one fluffy head while the other nosed Jay in the knee.

"Yes beast, I am here and I think you are adorable but I am not giving you my sandwich." A whine made them all smile, but Jay held firm. "Nu uh this is mine."

"All because of Mom." Jane smiled fondly at the pair.

"Their names?" Lonnie presses, glad that Carlos was home and safe and sound. Jay had rightfully been frantic that his best friend was missing, and had worked himself up, almost scaring her in the process. Now though, normality ruled once more in Auradon.

"Ludus and Pragma." Carlos supplied, taking Ludus away from Jay, allowing the man to eat his sandwich in peace.

"And you named them that?" Jay raised an eyebrow.

"Nope, their names appeared on their collars when we got home." Carlos shrugged.

"And they mean?" Jay continued, scarfing half the sandwich that Ludus was still eyeing up.

"Playful love and Enduring love." Jane finished sweetly, calling Pragma over to her side with a soft whistle.

"Well isn't that perfect." Lonnie smiled at the foursome and nudged Jay in the ribs, he smiled back at her knowingly, not that Carlos or Jane would notice they were too busy being lost in one another.


	4. Jay & Lonnie

A/N: Final chapter! While I was writing this, I was listening to Need You Now, Lady Antebellum on repeat so that influenced this story-line.

Enjoy!

* * *

Lonnie never though her life would be like this.

No, that's a lie. She did have an inkling that this was how her life would turn out. If you were to talk to anyone that knew young Lonnie they would have all said the same. Lonnie was destined for great things, and that was without her parents story; it was just the sort of child she had been. She had been determined and resourceful and utterly destined for the life she was living.

If you were to see her you would think her life was pretty fabulous; her apartment was found in the heart of Auradonia, she had country homes in at least four kingdoms, she had various titles under her belt, and the medals that adorned her walls numbered the dozens. She had been a strong contender in three different sports, and she was affectionately known as the Triple Threat. But because she was so utterly lovely, beautifully genuine and didn't have a bad bone in her body, which made it all the harder for her competition to hate her.

But she was all alone.

She sat in her apartment, after having dinner with Chad and Audrey staring at her reflection against the dark skies above Auradon. She pressed the tumbler of whisky to her forehead and wiped away a tear. She hated being alone, she had smiled and said the appropriate things as Chad and Audrey discussed plans for their five-year anniversary. She had cooed and ecstatically congratulated the pair on the secretive news of their first baby, but it had left her feeling hollow.

She gave way to the melancholy that had threatened to overwhelm her for the majority of the evening. She had poured herself a hefty glass of the finest whiskey that Merida's estates could produce, and she sat on her sofa in her immaculate apartment staring at her reflection. She felt a little drunk, it was past midnight and she had locked her phone away, refusing to even be tempted.

It had never been a part of her plans to be alone. She had bemoaned it once to Jane, and the fairy had patted her softly on the arm.

"I do not doubt it's hard love. I imagine it hurts a lot." Jane had topped up her wine glass and let Lonnie loll on the sofa. "Pride is a terrible thing, and lord knows Carlos has a lot of it. He gets it in his head that his Isle upbringing means he has to prove more to me than I ever need him to." She had tapped her ring against the glass and Lonnie had refused to look at her. "He locks things up in that head of his and he's scared of showing me, showing anyone. Ben's pride is the same, Doug's not brilliant, Mal is absolutely awful… strange really, but I suppose it's a part of being human." Her comment had hung in the silence for a moment, but like the angel that she was, Jane steered the conversation onto something else instead.

Her words sat swimming in her head now, pride truly was the cause of her problems.

~Jay~

Jay had bid his best friend goodbye and was now sat in his own place looking at the floor and realising he should give it a clean soon. Running a hand over his topknot, he groaned and tugged the elastic free. He almost relished the sharp stab of pain as his hair caught but he tossed the band haphazardly in the direction of the table.

His life was so much more than he had ever expected. Young Jay expected to be running the Isle, maybe alongside Mal, maybe having overturned her, he was never sure. But he was sat in a sweet house of his own, his tourney career was flying beautifully, and he had just come back from an amazing home-cooked meal at his best friend's place. Jay actually had a best friend, and if he was being honest he had more than one. But Jane and Carlos had cooked this amazing meal and they were living a life that Jay almost wanted.

What he wanted was the connection that the pair had, the intimate way of moving in sync with one another, of knowing each other's movements and their teamwork was mind-blowing to him. He had mentioned this once to Mal once, when he had been less than sober and she had smiled indulgently at him.

"But they work because they're both quieter people, their teamwork is different to Evie and Doug's – she seems the stronger one, because she mouthier but without his support Evie would undoubtedly crumble. Their teamwork is also different to mine and Ben's we're both strong and opinionated people, but we have to find a method to suit us." She shrugged and Jay had stared at her blankly. He knew with that talk she was helping him to address the actual problem.

It was a speech that wound its way round his head quite often, sitting in his thoughts, bubbling along, with cogs slowly turning as he tried to fit her words into his situation. Because he did have a situation. His situation had caused him to up and move out to this modest house on the edges of Auradonia City, while the rest of the situation was still in their swanky flat in the capital's heart.

It had been six long months and it had been strained. He knew it had put his friends under pressure, and he had been determined to not make them choose sides. Everything had been so heated, they had both shouted and now, as stupid as it was, he could barely remember what had started the argument, it had been a pit of jealousy that the pair had sunk into; both had been so suspicious of one another, it had been sickening. He did remember how it ended, that memory was clear as crystal.

"_Maybe we should take a break Jay." _

"_Maybe we should Lonnie." _

It made his heart hurt to think about the coldness of their breakup. They had been a fiery couple, a pair with a temper but ways to sooth the hurts and pain. But their break had been so icy, each aloof from their emotions, their pride keeping them from reaching out that now as he thought about it _again, _Jay realised he wasn't doing anything again.

"Fuck this." He said to the thin air and made his decision.

~Lonnie~

She started as she heard the knock at the door. Putting down her glass, she picked up the remote (she knew three different ways to take down an assailant with a remote control) and padded towards the door.

Cursing the lack of peephole, she opened it a fraction and her heart skipped a beat. She had to make that decision, and she saw the look of relief on his face when she swung the door wider to allow him in.

"I am sorry." His words were shaky and she put the remote down on the sideboard.

"I am too."

There was a beat of silence as they processed one another's words and they stared at each other frantically hoping for something. Anything. She remembered Jane's words. He remembered Mal's words and in that moment they both broke, closed the distance and held one another close. Her arms had wrapped around his back, he held her shoulders in a vice like grip, and both of them would wipe away tears when they moved apart.

"I am so sorry." Lonnie choked out and Jay wiped away another tear with the pad of his thumb.

"I am too." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "These six months have been the worst in my life, and that's including my childhood." He held her close again and felt her wrap back around him.

"Don't leave again." She said against his chest.

"Never."


End file.
